Julie Burstein

Julie Burstein is a Peabody Award-winning radio producer, TED speaker, and best-selling author of the first Studio 360 book, Spark: How Creativity Works. She has spent her working life in conversation with highly creative artists, scientists and business professionals — interviewing, probing, guiding, and creating live events and public radio programs about them and their work. Julie is the host of Spark Talks at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the creator and founding executive producer of public radio’s Studio 360, the producer of Totally Cerebral with Dr. Wendy Suzuki, and the creative consultant for TEDxMet at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She speaks frequently about creativity at universities, corporations, and international conferences.

Julie Burstein appears in the following:

American Icons: The Wizard of Oz

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Kurt Andersen follows the yellow brick road through America’s favorite story and discovers places in the Land of Oz more wonderful, and weirder, than you ever imagined.

The Pantheon: A Lesson in Designing With Light

Thursday, April 02, 2015

Steven Holl is one of America’s most respected architects. When he first went to Rome as a student, he discovered the building that would shape his career.

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A Dance Piece That Takes You Inside The Heart

Friday, March 14, 2014

If you’re one of those people who’s shy about audience participation, you should steer clear of Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects’ “4Chambers.” Or better yet, don’t. One of the dancers...

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American Icons: The Wizard of Oz

Friday, November 29, 2013

It's been over seventy years since movie audiences first watched The Wizard of Oz. Meet the original man behind the curtain, L. Frank Baum, who had all the vision of Walt Disney, bu...

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In Middlebury, Vt., Teens Train For Careers In The 'A.R.T.'s

Saturday, June 08, 2013

Throughout the entertainment industry, alumni of a tiny, vocational high school program are at work: building sets in Hollywood, mixing sound on Broadway, performing on TV shows like The Office. They're graduates of the Addison Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), an incubator for actors and theater technicians at the Hannaford ...

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Reaching for Peace

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: Middle East experts Flynt and Hillary Leverett argue that we need a new, more direct engagement with Iran. André Aciman discusses his latest collection of personal essays. Adam Mansbach, the author of the wildly popular Go the F*ck to Sleep, talks about his latest novel, Rage is Back. Plus, our word maven Patricia T. O’Conner looks at the vocabulary that emerged from Watergate and answers your questions about the sometimes vexing English language.

Lessons Learned

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: We’ll find out how Michelle Rhee’s attempts to reform Washington, D.C.’s, schools made her a highly controversial national figure. Actor Jeff Bridges and his Buddhist teacher Roshi Bernie Glassman talks about their decades-long dialogue on life, friendship, and the movies. Woodcarver David Esterly talks about being asked to replace a destroyed masterpiece. And Ray Fisman and Tim Sullivan look at the trade-offs and inefficiencies inherent in every organization—from McDonald’s to Al Qaeda.

Gray Area

Monday, October 29, 2012

We'll talk with parents holed up indoors with children and share ideas about how to keep them entertained. Laurie Rubin describes her experience as a blind woman and explains how she’s seen color her entire life. And photographer Joel Meyerowitz and his wife and collaborator Maggie Barrett talk about a new two-part exhibition of his work and a new book of photographs he’s taken over his career. We'll also have updates on the storm throughout the show.

As the World Turns

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard Lopate. She’ll speak with Vanity Fair contributing editor Craig Unger about Karl Rove’s influence on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and on fundraising for the Republican Party. We’ll find out about animal abuse in agribusiness, and one woman’s work to expose it and to create a shelter for injured farm animals. Karen Thompson Walker talks about her debut novel, The Age of Miracles, about what happens when the earth’s rotation slows down. Plus, our gurus of how-to, Alvin and Larry Ubell answer your questions about home maintenance and repair!

Aha Moment: Enrico Caruso

Friday, June 15, 2012

Sam Zimmerman was not an emotional man — except when it came to opera. He could discourse on Caruso and Callas at length, analyzing the range, the purity of the voice, and the myste...

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American Icons: Moby-Dick

Friday, December 30, 2011

In this Peabody Award-winning show, Kurt Andersen sets sail in search of the great white whale.

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A Big Deal

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard today. Michael Lewis discusses his investigation of economic bubbles around the world. Susan Orlean takes a look at the life and times of Rin Tin Tin, the legendary German shepherd who became a top-grossing movie star. Jesse Browner talks about his new novel Everything Happens Today. Plus, the authors of The Dictators Handbook explain bad behavior is often good politics.

Reflections on Elgar's Cello Concerto

Sunday, September 11, 2011

On the 70th anniversary of her birth, read this archival reflection on Jacqueline du Pré’s life and career, and watch a video of her performance of the Elgar Concerto.

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Under the Radar

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick tells about an al Qaeda mole who infiltrated the CIA. For our Underappreciated series, Ann Beattie looks at David Markson’s 1988 novel Wittgenstein’s Mistress, a book David Foster Wallace called a “work of genius.” Grammy winning jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard stops by. Plus, former hacker Michael Calce discusses how he brought down sites from Amazon to CNN to Yahoo!

Modern Life, Modern Problems

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: Mark Bittman discusses why he believes taxing unhealthy foods is good policy. The director of the new documentary “Senna,” talks about the Brazilian race car driver Ayrton Senna. Oliver Pötzsch discusses his novel, The Hangman’s Daughter. Plus, Holly Finn describes undergoing many rounds of in vitro fertilization and the challenges of waiting too long to have a baby.

Watch President Obama's press conference, and join the live chat, at 12:15 on It's a Free Country.

The Big Buzz

Monday, August 01, 2011

Guest host Julie Burstein fills in for Leonard. She’ll speak with Ben Zimmer about what your e-mail writing style says about you. Then, New Yorker executive editor Dorothy Wickenden tells the story of two Smith College graduates (one of them her grandmother) who headed West in 1916. Gully Wells talks about her parents, Dee Wells and A. J. Ayer, and their inner circle in 1960s London. We’ll take a look at how Google affects our memory. Plus, we’ll learn about the difficulties and rewards of bee keeping!

Civil Conversations

Monday, July 25, 2011

Guest host Julie Burstein talks to On Being host Krista Tippett about her new series that looks at how to rebuild civic life in America. Then, Nina Sankovitch discusses the books she turned to for comfort—and escape—after her sister’s death. We’ll find out why we often misunderstand the motives behind shoplifting. Plus, Don Cheadle discusses playing an FBI agent in the dark comedy, “The Guard.”

How Creativity Works

Monday, May 30, 2011

Where does creativity come from? Kurt Andersen, host of Studio 360, joins its founding producer Julie Burstein to talk about her new book, culled from the archives of the series: Spark: How Creativity Works  (Harper, 2011)

Leave your comment below! How do you find your creative spark? Is it more like going to work, or more like thinking and dreaming? And are you driven to create more by the beautiful, the terrible or the ordinary?

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How Creativity Works

Friday, March 04, 2011

Where does creativity come from? Kurt Andersen, host of Studio 360, joins its founding producer Julie Burstein to talk about her new book, culled from the archives of the series: Spark: How Creativity Works (Harper, 2011)

Call in or leave your comment below! How do you find your creative spark? Is it more like going to work, or more like thinking and dreaming? And are you driven to create more by the beautiful, the terrible or the ordinary?

Comments [20]

Spark: Getting to Work

Friday, February 18, 2011

This month we're celebrating 360's first decade on the air with the publication of the book Spark: How Creativity Works, by long-time Studio 360 executive producer Julie Burstein. In...

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